The petition is aiming to reach 9,000 signatures

Outraged shoppers at Bluewater shopping centre have set up an online petition over a ‘Send me nudes x’ sign at the back of one of its stores.

The neon pink sign glows at the back of Missguided, a clothing store for teenage girls and women.

So far, more than 8,000 people have signed a petition addressed to the shop, which demands “Respect Girls More - Take Down Your Sign”.

Rachel Gardner set up the petition on Monday after outraged shoppers took to Twitter to vent their frustrations.

She said: “Teenage girls feel under increasing pressure to create and send nude pictures of themselves.

“NSPCC report says teenage girls are most adversely affected by the sexting culture. Once online, these nude images can be seen and used by anyone, making girls and vulnerable young women the victims of bullying, revenge porn and exploitation.

“Many of these nude images can even make their way to child abuse websites. It is illegal in the UK for nude images of under 18’s to be created, sent and shared.

“‘Send me Nudes’ legitimises the culture of sexual coercion that teenage girls and young women experience daily. In posting ‘Send me nudes’ in their store, Missguided are promoting a negative and damaging culture.

“Instead, they should be empowering young women to value their intrinsic value and express their uniqueness through the art of fashion. So we are calling on Missguided to respect girls and take down their sign.”

An NSPCC spokesperson said: “Sharing nude selfies can put young people at risk of bullying by peers or being targeted by adult sex offenders, so it’s vital that parents talk to their children and that young people feel empowered to say no to sexting requests.

“We realise that talking about sexting can be an embarrassing or awkward conversation for both parents and children. The NSPCC has created a guide for parents to help them talk to their children about the risks of sexting, what the law says, and what to do if their child has shared a nude image that is being circulated online or among their peers. Visit nspcc.org.uk/sexting for advice on protecting children.”

A spokesperson from Bluewater confirmed the sign had been removed, after staff had initially covered it following the social media frenzy it stirred.

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